


The Black Wolf and the Heroine

by stepOnMeZenos



Category: Final Fantasy XIV
Genre: Bedtime Stories, Child Lyna (Final Fantasy XIV), Dialogue-Only, Gen, Mentioned Warrior of Light (Final Fantasy XIV), Parental G'raha Tia | Crystal Exarch
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-10
Updated: 2020-07-10
Packaged: 2021-03-04 20:40:39
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,811
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25182655
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/stepOnMeZenos/pseuds/stepOnMeZenos
Summary: When Lyna asks the Exarch for a bedtime story, he draws on a well of old memories for the tale.
Relationships: Lyna & G'raha Tia | Crystal Exarch
Comments: 6
Kudos: 16





	The Black Wolf and the Heroine

**Author's Note:**

> I wrote this half a year ago as an experiment for a story that only uses dialogue. No idea how I feel about it, but I recently found it again and I might as well post it, I guess.

“Exarch, tell me a bedtime story.“ 

“Of course, Lyna. What kind of story would you like to hear?“

“I want an adventure. With monsters. And heroines!“

“Why, I've got just the story for you, then.

Once, there was a black wolf who threatened to devour all the lands. He'd already swallowed all the lands to the north, and so he ventured south to satisfy his insatiable hunger. The people of the south, however, fought back with all their might, that their lands may be saved. And so the wolf called down the moon itself, that it may crush the southern people where they stood.“ 

“But they lived, right?“

“Yes. Despite all the destruction wrought by the fallen moon, they lived—mourned their losses, but lived. The wolf, exhausted by his feat, hid in his den and licked his wounds. Thus, a fragile sort of peace settled over the land, though marred by the people fearing the wolf's inevitable return while they worked to repair their homes. They knew they no longer had the strength to stand up against the wolf's full might, should he decide to unleash it on them, but what could they do except start the slow process of rebuilding, in hopes of having enough time to prepare?“

“But then there was a _heroine_...“

“Yes—eventually there was a heroine. But first, that heroine was just an ordinary woman, a stranger recently arrived in their city, whose face or name nobody knew, or cared about. You see, in these days, many flocked to the city, as they hoped there would be safety in numbers and their own outlying homes had been destroyed in the fall of the moon. The heroine was but one of many, seemingly not out of the ordinary.

The heroine sought work, for she needed a place to sleep and food on the table. She didn't shy away from even the most mundane of tasks; she delivered mail, cleared out little pests, procured food from the surrounding lands. Wherever there was a person in need, she would soon be found asking them what was wrong. And in time, people began to take note. 'She's a reliable one,' they said, 'she's someone we can trust.' And so they gave her greater and more important work. You see, this southern land was fraught with dangers even without the black wolf. Fearsome beasts known as primals prowled these lands, and posed a threat to everyone around them. The heroine had a rare gift, a special ability, that allowed her to slay these primals.“

“What kind of ability was it?“

“She could shield herself from the primals' deadly influence—the aura they exerted wherever they went that would inevitably sear the mind of anyone unfortunate enough to get too close. This aura had no effect on her. Oh, they could still hurt her by mundane means, but the heroine was as strong as she was resourceful. When the people of the city sent her against Ifrit, the primal of fire, she dodged its searing flames with entrancing agility and walked away from the fight as the victor. And the people of the city cheered upon her return.“

“And then? What happened then? Did she go and hunt the wolf?“

“Not yet. The wolf was still hiding and biding his time, and the heroine knew even she wasn't yet strong enough to slay him, and so she continued working for the city people. It wasn't long until another primal surfaced, closer to the city this time, and stronger than the first. This primal was Titan, of the earth, and off the heroine went, to save her fellows once more. She had to undergo many dangerous tasks to reach Titan's sacred ground, but reach it she did, and slew Titan as she had slain Ifrit. However...“

“What? What happened? You can't just stop here!“

“I wasn't planning to, don't worry. I merely needed a second to remember the tale. Upon returning to the city, the heroine found many of her closest companions missing or felled by the wolf's henchmen. The heroine, in her grief, ran and hid away in a nearby church where she met one of the wolf's pups, who had left his father's side because he thought swallowing the lands was wrong. The pup did not wish to leave; he had made himself something of a home in the church and feared what lay outside, but the heroine convinced him that the wolf would never let him stay if he had his way. And so the pup left with the heroine.“

“And they became friends, right?“

“Yes, they did. Even after the wolf was defeated they—ah, but that is a tale for another day. The two friends were left with a conundrum. They did not know what the wolf was planning, nor where he was hiding. In other words, they could not simply storm his den and finish it once and for all. For lack of better things to do, they set out for a third primal who had appeared while they were hiding in the church—Garuda of the storming gale. Garuda was crafty, however. She had learned of the heroine slaying her siblings and had thus erected a barrier around her lair that the heroine could not penetrate. 'What should I do?' the heroine asked, full of frustration. 'I can't slay Garuda like this!'“

“But the pup knew what to do!“

“Exactly. You see, the pup was very talented at making things. Contraptions, machines, tools—he could craft all of them with ease, and use them to solve all sorts of problems. He took a look at the barrier and knew at once what to do. 'I'll need a crystal,' he said to the heroine. 'A big one. If you get me that, I can break this barrier.' Fortunately, the heroine knew many people from her time spent in the city, and among them was a scholar who was well versed in where to find the biggest and best crystals. And the scholar told the heroine, 'Go to the desert! There you can find many great crystals.' The heroine went and brought back the biggest she could find, but the pup looked at it and shook his head. 'No, this isn't what I need.'“

“Why didn't he just say what he needed in the first place then?“

“Because… he couldn't know for sure which kind of crystal would work for his purposes. So the scholar said to the heroine, 'Go to the coasts of the great sea! There you can find many great crystals.' The heroine once again brought back the biggest crystal there was, but again the pup looked at it and shook his head. 'No, no, I need something else.'“

“Maybe the pup wasn't that good at making things after all then...“

“Oh, he was. Nobody else could have built the device he came up with. But he still needed the crystal, and so the heroine went back to the scholar, who said: 'Go to the forest! There you can find the greatest crystals of them all.' Thus the heroine went and wandered the forest until she came across the biggest, most impressive crystal she had ever laid eyes on. 'This', she said, 'this must be good enough.'“

“Was it? Was it?“

“Yes. The pup looked at the crystal and his eyes lit up. 'This is perfect!' he said, and immediately went about connecting it to his device. It worked, just as the pup had hoped. It broke through the barrier and made a path for the heroine. The heroine entered through the breach, full of confidence that Garuda would fall to her blade like Ifrit and Titan had, but inside the lair, she faced not only Garuda, but her two fallen siblings as well. Garuda had brought them back, you see, and the heroine knew she could not possibly take on all three of them at once.“ 

“Oh no!“

“The heroine fought with all her might, but in the end, the three primals were simply far too strong. But, as they were about to land the finishing blow, the black wolf appeared!“

“Why? Did he want to help the heroine?“

“No such thing, unfortunately. He had come to devour the primals and absorb their powers to become truly unstoppable. He pounced at Ifrit and with one mighty bite swallowed him whole. Then, bolstered by Ifrits strength, he turned upon Titan and wolfed him down as well. Garuda, seeing firsthand that she could not stand up to such power, tried to flee into the sky, but the wolf leapt up and dragged her down to earth before devouring her as well.“

“What did the heroine do?“

“She fled, having been well and truly outmatched for the first time. She knew that she, too, would fall if she were to stay, and wisely chose to live, so that she could find a way to bring down the black wolf. 'But how?' she said to the wolf pup. 'How could I defeat someone like that?' And the pup replied, 'I don't know. Perhaps we should find your comrades first. One of them may have an idea.' 

The heroine agreed, for lack of a better idea, and she wanted to save her friends anyroad, of course. The two returned to the city and asked anyone they could find about where her friends might have been taken, and eventually, they found their answer. The heroine's friends were being held at the wolf's old den.'“

“Old den? He had several?“

“Oh, yes. After the moon had fallen, the wolf had staked out many areas in his land, zealously guarded by the rest of his pups. The people of the city had never contested these areas, for they knew they had not the strength to succeed. Now, however, with the heroine by their side, they came to agree that perhaps it would be worth storming this particular den. If the black wolf wasn't there, they would stand a chance with her supporting them. 

This particular wolf den sat north of the city, but still within the undevoured lands, in the middle of a swamp filled with fearsome creatures. Undeterred by that, the heroine cleaved a way for the city people to follow her into the den itself, where they did indeed find her friends captured and locked up. The heroine cut their ties and led them out into the open. Already some of the city people broke out into cheers, for they had won a victory against the black wolf—but of course, it could not be so easy for them.“

“The black wolf caught them!“

“Yes. As they prepared to leave the wolf's wretched den, his pitch black body blocked the exit and he snarled at them, fully intending to take out the one and only threat to his supremacy there and then. Panic broke out among the people; if the heroine hadn't managed to defeat the black wolf before, how could she do it now? However, the black wolf had sorely understimated his lost pup, who was, after all, familiar with these dens. The wolf, not wanting anyone to disturb them, had built many traps and obstructions to deter invaders, and the pup knew how to operate them all.

“Rather than fight, however, the pup opened another pathway outside so they could all escape together. A battle between the heroine and the wolf would prove dangerous to anyone around them, and the pup didn't want to subject the people of the city to that risk. So they ran, out of the den, through the swamp and back to their city, and the entire time they could hear the wolf howling in anger at their escape. 

“When they arrived, they were faced by a conundrum. Yes, they had succeeded. The heroine's friends were hale and whole, but their victory was a temporary one. The wolf would not abide being resisted in this manner. Soon, he would come to raze their city to the ground and cement his rulership of the land. What could they do about it? The heroine remained oddly quiet as they discussed on how they could save themselves, as they brought up idea after idea and dismissed them again when they realised they would never work. 

“It was only when nobody could think of anything else to suggest that she stood up. 'Friends,' she said, 'I have lost to the black wolf before. Do you want to know why? It was because I was alone when I fought him. I was alone as I stood in Garuda's lair, and alone when I was routed. There was nobody to watch my back, nobody to fight for with all my might—and so I did not. I had intended to, but I see now that true strength does not come from fighting by yourself. It comes from being part of a whole, from defending that which one cherishes.'“

“That's cheesy.“ 

“Er… yes, the heroine was prone to being like that sometimes. But she was right. She would be stronger with all the friends and comrades she had made helping her. Her speech moved the people, and they all agreed that they would stand with her until the very end—whichever end that would turn out to be. As one, they moved out, surrounding the black wolf's greatest den. As one, they engaged his many pups, clearing a way for their heroine. As one, they cheered so loudly that even the heavens themselves would hear when the heroine engaged the wolf.“

“Did it help?“

“Yes. The heroine was emboldened by their voices and fought like she never had before. The hopes and dreams of the people quickened her step and strengthened her arms. The blows she dealt to the wolf were mighty, enough to fell a lesser enemy on the spot, but the wolf would not fall so easily. He used the power of the three primals he had absorbed. Fearsome jets of fire pelted the heroine. Boulders the size of a building crashed into her. Fierce gales threatened to toss her around the den as if she was naught more than a child's doll. And still, the heroine stood and fought.

“'Why?' the black wolf cried. 'Why does she still stand?'

“'This is my home,' the heroine replied. 'These are my people. You can't have them.' And with those words, she gathered all her strength, all the skills honed in years of combat, and struck. The black wolf did likewise, and the very earth shook as their attacks collided. Outside of the den, the fighting ceased as both the people of the city and the wolf's pups felt the earthquake. And when the dust settled… hmm, shouldn't you be in bed already?“

“What? No! You can't stop now! Tell me who won!“

“Alright, alright. When the dust settled, it was as if everyone outside of the den held their breath. Who would emerge victorious? Would it be the wolf, and would all the lands fall under his control? Or the heroine, thereby freeing the world from this menace? The tension rose when a solitary figure appeared by the den's entrance, shrouded in shadows, until they stepped into the light of the outside world...“ 

“It was the heroine, right? She won, didn't she?“

“The people squinted and craned their heads to get a better view. And then, a lone voice belonging to the one closest to the entrance, began cheering, for they had seen their heroine—battered and bleeding, but victorious and, most importantly, alive. Seeing this, the wolf's pups scattered and hid, for they knew they could not stand without the wolf. Only the pup that had helped the heroine so remained behind and joined the cheering.

“They returned home together and held a great feast to celebrate. It was a time of joy and community, of hope and tenderness…“

“Did they eat a lot of good food?“

“Yes, I imagine they did. They brought out tables and benches for everyone to gather, and everyone emptied out their pantries so that there would be enough for them all. It lasted until the wee hours of the morning—except for children like you, who had to go to bed earlier…“

“That's not fair. You can't stop now. I want to hear more about the heroine.“

“I can tell you more of her adventures tomorrow, if you wish, but you really do need to go sleep now, Lyna. Don't you want to grow up big and strong like the heroine?“

“Yes! I want to protect the people of the Crystarium just like she did.“

“Then you need lots of sleep while you're still growing. And eat well! That's important.“

“Promise me you'll tell me another one tomorrow then.“ 

“Of course. I'll make time for you.“

“Good night, Exarch.“

“Good night, Lyna.“

**Author's Note:**

> Comments appreciated.


End file.
